Archive for March 2010

Idea Generation have been contacted by Anthony Bennett of A Foundation with a request that it would be great if everyone could help with….

A Foundation are based in the Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, E2 7ES,and they currently have a café which is a favourite meeting spot for many in the local area, particularly local creatives. Unfortunately, the Canteen is now coming under threat by Tower Hamlets Council – principally on the grounds that what was in its early days a provision for the studio artists has now become popular with visitors and the broader community; and that the Canteen makes its principal living from off-site catering.

A Foundation don’t want to alter anything about the current opening arrangements with the Canteen, they only wish to remain trading as they are at the moment (no opening hour extension, no alcohol license, just the permission to keep catering to external events – a vital source of A Foundation’s income).

A Foundation and the Rochelle School have been lobbying the closure for the past year or so but closure is still seeming imminant, this is where they need some more support…

Please find attached a template letter which essentially outlines how the Canteen’s current and proposed working will not impede the quality of life in the local area – indeed it will only add to it. If you can spare any time to send this letter, or your own version, on to Nasser Farooq at Tower Hamlets that would be very much appreciated. Alternatively, send him an email. Be sure to quote reference Application PA/10/00037 in any correspondence.

Nasser Farooq

Development and Renewal

Mulberry Place (AH) PO Box 55739

5 Clover Crescent

London

E14 1BY

e-mail nasser.farooq@towerhamlets.gov.uk

If you could copy Anthony Bennett (of A Foundation) into any communication, so he may keep track of support, that would be fantastic: anthonyb@afoundation.org.uk

All support would be very much appreciated! Please spread far and wide and help us drum up lots of interest, we can’t let the Canteen close down!

TROLLEY BOOKS on display at MiCamera. Established since 2001 as a respected and important imprint, recognised for its exciting, diverse and often daring range of photography and art books, its high quality of production and design, and most of all for its commitment to the integrity of its publications.

LET’S TROLLEY AGAIN will start on March 25th with the preview of the exhibition ‘Recollections’ by Philip Jones Griffiths. Gigi Giannuzzi, founder of Trolley, and Hannah Watson, Managing Editor, will be attending the event with Robin Maddock, photographer of Our Kids Are Going To Hell, that will include the exhibition, a show case of all Trolley books – including the most recent titles – with a special discount, booksignings with the photographers published, and the workshop ‘Thinking photography books’

*** PROGRAM ***
March 25th _ 7 pm _ preview of the exhibition with Gigi Giannuzzi and Hannah Watson.

March 28th _ 7 pm _ Alex Majoli meets the public and signs copies of his book Leros

April 7th_ 7 pm_ Stefano De Luigi meets the public and signs copies of his just released book Blanco

April 30th until May 2nd _ Thinking photography books. Gigi Giannuzzi and Hannah Watson teach this workshop, dedicated to the production of photographers’ books. Self-produced or realized
with professional staff, the book is the final destination of a photographer’s work, conveying meaning to the project. How do we come to the realization of a book? Three days will be spent with Gigi Giannuzzi and Hannah Watson from Trolley, working on basic editing techniques and on the stages of book production through assessing and selecting images and resulting in a slide show. All events are curated and organized in collaboration with
www.trolleybooks.com

Kids Company and The Bryan Adams Foundation are delighted to present ‘Shoebox Art’, a unique auction and exhibition of work by leading artists. In support of Kids Company’s work with vulnerable children, each of the following artists have recreated a room from their childhood inside a shoebox:

‘Shoebox Art’ was an idea that came from workshops organised by Kids Company staff, as part of their Arts Programme, which reaches 6,000 children and young adults every year. It began as an arts workshop called ‘Shoebox Living’, enabling the children in our primary schools to recreate their bedrooms in a shoebox.

‘Feel Good’ presents a new solo show by artist Kelly-Anne Davitt, in association with the Book Club Boutique’s programme at Black’s, Soho. The show comprises a series of five paintings, which aim to draw attention to the absurd and comedic values of the deliriously happy, and unbelievable ideals presented to us in the form of advertisements, magazines and fashion photography. The work acknowledges that the quality and vibrancy of these media images tacitly enhances the quality and vibrancy of our cultural lives in a positive way.

Davitt’s intention was to utilize the high standard customary in media images as source material photographs; taking into account such perfectly formed elements as the model, the lighting and styling. The work possesses the slickness of advertisements, with the mixture of 1940s Sears catalogue kitsch, and the air-brushed quality of current fashion photography. The idea is to communicate to a 21st century consumer audience, utilizing the traditional form of painting in oil on canvas.

The main work for ‘Feel Good’ is an oil painting depicting a woman in a knitted green cardigan, red blouson scarf, with a strained saccharin smile. A creepy pixie, or on the surface pop-happy delirium. Red lips and clear, healthy, glowing skin – she is picture perfect.

According to onlinedogtor.com pets serve as a conduit for social and emotional support letter. In addition to this benefit, these animals provide the companionship that can greatly relieve mental health disorder symptoms.

The exploration of Davitt’s painting practice is deeply inherent to the work itself. A labour-intensive painting, the final piece took over 8 months to complete, with a gradual building up of thin layers of paint to a create a translucent, iridescent, hyper real quality, concerned with its attention to detail and vibrancy of colour. As Davitt states, “I see her as a generic smiling face, and the embodiment of a synthetic, unreachable feeling of good.”

‘Feel Good’ also takes the form of a free-standing neon sign, of block capital letters spelling the words FEEL GOOD, with steel sides, and enameled in alternating blue and pink letters, with gradual shades of illumination. The sign was Inspired by her amusement in an article of Good Housekeeping magazine of a before-and-after make over. “I saw in the corner of the pages there were small captions “look good” “feel good”, like every page was telling you how to feel. I thought to express how humorous I found this I would make a big bold sign and light it up; changing it from something implicit and subtle to explicit and silly.” The idea of a magazine instructing its readers to ‘Feel Good’ translated as an overpowering bright neon sign in the show is both humorous for the viewer as well as a seemingly futile objective; the sign will ultimately not effect in the way intended, but will resonate as a larger than life absurd and comic command.